Hearth and the Home
by Bellismo
Summary: When Hestia is finally fed up with the way Zeus is acting she decides to take matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, another goddess takes over after finding a flaw in Hestia's plan. With the gods distraught and demigods panicking- who can be trusted?
1. The Meeting

**21****st**** December**

As the gods gathered on Mount Olympus, everyone stayed silent. For once there were no arguments between them: maybe it was because it was the middle of the night; maybe because Hestia was glaring daggers at everybody, daring them to whisper; or maybe it was because of the most intriguing fact.

Zeus wasn't there.

As the main Olympians sat on their thrones and the minor gods sat behind (on slightly smaller thrones of course), Hestia walked into the middle of the room. She was in a different form- her teenage form- and she was flawless. Her simple dress fluttered in the breeze and her eyes burned with hope.

When Hades shadow travelled in discretely he sent her a questioning look. He was the last to arrive, his footsteps sounded like gunshots breaking the delicate silence.

Hera sent worried glances towards the empty throne next to her. She hadn't been told what the meeting was about, and neither had anyone else in the room.

Hestia twirled slowly; checking to make sure everyone was there. She sent a warm smile to each separate deity, which took a while but calmed everybody down. All eyes were on her as her face returned to its position of seriousness.

Hestia coughed slightly to bring all eyes to her, but that was an unnecessary action as all attention was already focused on her.

"Thank you for coming." She gave a slight smile to her audience, receiving multiple nervous smiles back. "I'm sure we all agree that something needs to change. The gods are childish; Zeus is perhaps one of the most childish out of everyone. I have waited for him to change, but after many years I think it is time we took this matter into our own hands."

Hera stood up suddenly, her eyes glowing with rage. All eyes swivelled towards her, waiting for her to do something, anything. Hera took a step towards Hestia before speaking.

"I will not help you with this uprising. Zeus may be childish, but he is the leader of the gods. I do not wish to face his wrath again."

She then proceeded to disappear in a blinding light. Hestia shuffled uncomfortably under the gazes of the gods. She looked at them all again before finally breaking the deafening silence.

"I do not wish to harm Zeus, nor do I wish to capture him. I merely want to teach him responsibility and cooperation. To do this I believe we must take away what he relies on most. With your help, I would like to temporarily make Zeus a mortal."

As soon as Hestia said her last word, the gods began to shout again. They seemed to forget the secrecy of the meeting that was taking place.

The fire Hestia usually tended to flared up, bringing the sounds to a halt. Hestia's eyes were like flames, showing the unbelievable amount of anger she could unleash at any moment. A few gods, such as Apollo and Hermes, shrank back from the furious goddess.

As silence draped over the throne room like a blanket, Hestia spoke.

"I need you to channel your energy into me tomorrow at the Winter Solstice meeting. I will be able to do the rest."

She gave a small bow before going back to tend to her fire. The gods were still for a moment, unsure of what they were supposed to do.

After a few minutes, Poseidon left. The major gods left and soon after them the minor gods went as well.

Hades stayed on his throne. His eyes looked black and his skin white. He stood up before walking towards the flame.

"I hope you know what you are doing." He told her (looking down at her now sitting form), all traces of his madness leaving his eyes. His voice sounded worried, caring even.

Hades kneeled down next to Hestia, his eyes staring into the fire.

"It will be fine." She answered him dishonestly. She was trying to keep her nerves from showing through. It was much easier to lie, she decided, if you were talking to a big crowd, instead of one perceptive god.

Hades glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "If you say so," he replied as he started to leave, "but I think the amount of energy needed is far less than what you are asking."

With that statement spoken, Hades shadow travelled back to the Underworld alone.


	2. Light Beams

**22****nd**** December **

The next morning, Hera ran into her bedroom. She had been contemplating her decision all night, and she realised that she didn't want Zeus to be thrown into Tartarus (which was a possibility considering the amount of gods at the meeting).

She ran to her bedroom where Zeus was sprawled, his chest rising and falling as he slept. Hera shook him lightly, causing Zeus to flash out of bed and across to the other side of the room. His master bolt was ready to fire until he saw his wife. He smiled at her, but then he realised that his wife was crying.

As the tears dropped from Hera's eyes, Zeus carried he to the chair beside the bed. He wiped the tears off with his thumb, kissing her lightly on the forehead every few minutes.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, wondering what could have made the cold-hearted goddess so upset.

"The gods are planning an uprising." She informed him. Zeus stiffened, thinking about the betrayal.

"Who is leading it?" He asked, tension leaking into each word. Hera looked up at him before bursting into tears again. She was the goddess of families; she couldn't bear to betray Hestia, who had always been the kindest of the gods.

Zeus decided to stop asking questions, but kept his guard up waiting for attack.

...…...

As the gods gathered for the meeting the tension flared. Zeus walked stiffly to his throne, Hera next to him.

Hestia was glancing at Hades every so often, waiting for him to yell at her about the plan.

Hades stared straight ahead, contemplating reasons that Hestia needed so much energy.

The minor gods were waiting in silence.

Everybody knew about the "uprising" and yet, nobody knew about it.

Hestia tilted her hand discreetly, sending a fireball at the ceiling.

At that point, all chaos broke loose.

The gods involved in the plan transformed into their godly forms while Zeus and Hera did the same.

Zeus had his lightning bolt ready to defend himself as power surged from the gods in streams of light.

Hestia knew she had made a mistake even before she finished. She felt the blinding power of the gods surge through her and out at the same time.

Aim, she reminded herself, aim.

Three beams of focused energy left her in an array of colours.

Zeus tried to mask his fear as the beam shot towards him, too powerful for even him to stop.

Hades stood calmly waiting for the beam to come: he knew this would happen.

Unlike some people thought, Hades was very clever and he was one of the oldest gods. He knew that the power didn't add up: it was much too much (around three times too much by his calculations). He was also one of the only gods that spoke to Hestia. Always in secret, but conversations. He knew her well enough to see through her flimsy lie.

Poseidon sat rooted to his seat, wondering for a split second too long why the beam was coming towards him. He watched it change from white to green to blue, waiting for it to change course.

The beams hit the gods at the exact same time. A ginormous explosion rocked the throne room; knocking over a statue of Aphrodite that was by the entrance.

The dust was thick in the air: almost as if Olympus had just been bombed.

Hestia panicked. She had planned this to go calmer, with fewer falling statues and dust. The gods were screaming and running around: they probably thought Hestia was out of control considering the numerous beams she had shot.

Hestia shook her head slightly, trying to clear her head in the mass panic occurring around her. She sprinted towards Hades' throne, looking for the small shape of a mortal the whole time.

He wasn't there.

"Hades!" Hestia shouted, hysteria running havoc on her body. Her breathing increased as tears trickled down her face. "Hades..."

Hestia sagged onto the floor, her eyes downcast and broken. Hades had been her closest friend. Ever.

Hera marched over to the grief-stricken goddess but slowed her rage when she saw the state Hestia was in.

"Zeus has gone." She stated, a small tear leaking from her eye. She kneeled next to Hestia, wrapping one arm around her sister's shoulder.

"I didn't mean for this." Hestia met her sister's eyes, truth shining like a torch in them.

Hera nodded in acknowledgment. Her frown increased as she looked up to the sky.

"I wanted them to be mortal, not dead. Hades was one of my few friends. He is gone now."

Another tear trickled from Hera's eye before she turned to Hestia, a determined look on her face.

"We will find them." She told Hestia. Hestia stood up, ready to search.

"Let's go."


	3. Intervention

**27****th**** December**

Poseidon woke up with a splitting headache. He was in an alleyway, Hades and Zeus next to him.

Poseidon blinked a few times: checking and double-checking. Nothing changed: they were still teenagers.

He stood up unsteadily, his body feeling out of proportion now that he was a teenager as well.

Poseidon scanned the surroundings, checking for any signs of monsters or crazy gods (besides the two unconscious next to him of course).

Suddenly a puff of purple smoke appeared to his right. A goddess stepped out of the smoke; her steps graceful and her complexion mysterious, almost dream like.

Hecate closed her eyes for a minute, ignoring the sea teen completely.

Hades and Zeus awoke with a start. They both glared at Hecate simultaneously. Hecate smiled kindly back at them, before taking a few steps towards the trio.

Poseidon shuffled backwards, keeping his distance away from the powerful goddess. He was defenceless and powerless: it could end very badly for him.

"Hello." Hecate smiled at them again. They all visibly relaxed, especially Hades (she did work with him after all).

Zeus sent her a questioning glance, wondering if he should try to run away from the goddess. It could all be one big elaborate plan for his demise...

"Hestia's idea was flawed, so I have decided to take matters into my own hands."

This statement received three different reactions.

Zeus stiffened, waiting for Hecate to pull out a wand or spear so she could kill him. He knew that an uprising would happen sooner or later, but he had been hoping it would be later.

Poseidon nodded his head thoughtfully. Hestia had only planned on making Zeus mortal. Hecate must have used the extra power to make them mortal as well, saving Zeus from something almost certainly deadly.

Hades looked confused. Very confused. Hestia's plan had worked perfectly: the only problem was that they were in an alley. A look of understanding appeared on his face: nobody knew where they were. This was quickly replaced with the puzzled expression again, as it didn't really matter. Did it?

Hecate glanced at Hades.

**_You are wiser than your brothers._** She spoke in his mind. Hades thought his question again and Hecate nodded.

**_It wouldn't end well if your enemies knew, would it?_**

A look of understanding passed over Hades' face.

Zeus and Poseidon watched him as he had the little mental conversation with Hecate.

Zeus decided nobody was paying any attention to him, so he snuck quietly out of the alley.

Zeus guessed he was still in New York. The streets were full to the brim of people going about their business; not focused on anybody except their goals.

Zeus slipped away, disappearing into the huge crowd.

He let out a small sigh as he looked back. Nobody was following him: he was safe.

Zeus thought about what he should do.

He couldn't go back to Olympus: nearly every god wanted him dead. He was too vulnerable in his mortal state.

Zeus opened his palm and tried to summon some lightning. To his relief, a small spark flickered between his fingers. It was much harder than usual but at least he had powers.

An idea occurred to him at that moment.

I could go to Camp Half Blood, Zeus thought, and pretend to be one of my children. Nobody would suspect a thing.

Zeus grinned to himself and started heading in the direction of Camp Half Blood.

...

Percy was asleep on the floor. He had an inflatable mattress and a pillow and a blanket. He was spread out, his foot touching his bed while his arm touched the wall beside him.

Nico, who had invaded Percy's room and claimed the bed, woke with a start. His nightmares were not as bad as Percy's but Nico slept much lighter. He rubbed his eyes: trying to stop the onslaught of unwanted memories.

Percy rolled over, nearly falling off his makeshift bed. Nico grinned as he saw his friend fast asleep.

"More pancakes for me." He muttered to himself. To Nico's dismay, the son of Poseidon opened his eyes.

"Pancakes?" He asked as he sat up. Percy was wide-awake now. "Where are the pancakes?"

Nico's smile faded. There would be no extra pancakes for him.

The demigods got ready for the day. Nico was ready first because Percy wanted to take a shower (it helped with memories). Nico raced into the kitchen, he could taste the pancakes already...

Sally was cooking; a tall stack of blue pancakes was on the counter. Ever since Sally adopted him, Nico had stayed for the food. Especially the pancakes.

Paul was sitting at the table. He was drinking a cup of coffee slowly, still half asleep.

Nico took a plate and a couple of pancakes. After helping himself to the maple syrup he started to eat.

Percy ran into the room, his eyes traveling straight towards the plate of blue pancakes. He quickly dished out a big serving before sitting next to Nico.

The winter holidays were approaching the end and Percy dreaded it. He had gone to the university in New Rome last year but it was too difficult. As well as the schoolwork, Percy had to put up with everybody (including teachers) staring at him. They expected him to achieve top marks with Annabeth, but while Percy was smart, he could not do well in school with his dyslexia. By the end of the year, Percy was done.

He left.

Annabeth and him were still together, but they could cope without each other for the school days.

Nico and Percy had left Camp a few days ago. Now they had to face something worse than Kronos: school.

After finishing his pancakes Percy stood up. "I'm going to IM Annabeth."

Nico rolled his eyes. Percy and Annabeth talked for hours every day. Once he was finished, Nico waved before leaving. He liked to wander around to see what was going on.

Nico found himself on the floor. He jumped up and turned to find the mortal who had bumped into him.

Zeus stood up, glaring at the son of Hades. The boy was an idiot, walking into the king of the gods like that.

"How dare you..." Zeus started, lightning crackling around his fingertips.

Nico interrupted him. "How dare I what?" His eyes flicked to Zeus' hand. "Are you a demigod?"

Zeus forced himself to nod. On a normal day, Zeus would blast the demigod before growing to his godly size. Luckily for the demigod the day was anything but normal.

"I'm a son of Zeus." Zeus told Nico. Nico nodded.

"Are you going to Camp?"

Zeus resisted his want to blast the demigod with his limited firepower. Where was the respect? The awe? His children didn't turn up every day. Not anymore anyway.

Zeus nodded again. Nico held out his hand. "Want a ride? I can shadow travel us there."

Zeus nodded again, taking the demigod's hand. They tumbled into darkness, shadows waiting for Zeus to let go of Nico so they could strike. It was like a hurricane, much bumpier than usual.

Nico was trying not to scream. It was taking all his energy to stop the shadows ripping his guest apart. Nico wondered what caused this. The shadows didn't react so badly even when Percy or Jason were with him.

Finally, they landed just outside the border of Camp.

Nico watched the new demigod go through the border. He was definitely strange, even for a demigod.

...….

"What?" Hades and Poseidon seemed to scream simultaneously. Hecate was trying to explain everything and not only had they been told how long they had been unconscious (five days to be exact); but they had just been told what they were going to be doing as mortals. Going to school.

Poseidon was pinching himself, trying to wake up from the 'nightmare' that plagued him.

Hades had calmed down, but was now desperately searching for his younger brother. Zeus had disappeared.

Hecate seemed to realize what Hades was trying to accomplish. She glided over to him through the cold winter air.

"Do not despair." She whispered to the god. "I am protecting him with a shield. He will find his way to Camp Half Blood, as he seems uncomfortable being around other gods at this moment. Perhaps his view will change with time, but he will stay safe."

Hades nodded, the new information was definitely reassuring to him. Hecate smiled warmly and squeezed his shoulder softly. Hades glanced at Poseidon who had only just stopped panicking.

"Where are we going to school?"

Hecate was surprised at the intelligent question. She glanced at Hades and tried to suppress a giggle.

Hades tensed: what was Hecate up to? She could be a mischievous goddess when she wanted to and she had something planned for him.

"Goode."

Poseidon was completely lost. Hades' eyes widened, Nico was going to a school called Goode…

"Good?"

Hecate giggled at Poseidon's obliviousness. Hades was still shocked. He could befriend his son! They could actually bond instead of the awkwardness they shared. Hades cared for his son, he had to keep himself in check. He had much too much contact already; he could only justify it by sending Nico out on useless tasks and criticising him.

Hecate interrupted his thoughts. "No. Goode, as in the school Percy went to when he was younger."

Poseidon's eyes widened in understanding.

"Anyway, I'll show you your apartments. You need somewhere to stay."

Hecate led the two boys through New York until the reached an apartment block. They walked up the stairs: they were only on the second floor according to Hecate.

The building was warm, with red stairs and cream walls. Hecate bounded up the stairs, leaving Poseidon and Hades in the dust as they struggled to keep up.

Finally, the three reached the top of the staircase. A line of wooden doors lined both sides.

Hecate led them down the corridor to the very end.

"Here are your keys."

She handed each boy a bronze key for apartment 121. They had to share.

Poseidon immediately jammed his key in the lock and tried to unlock the door as quickly as possible.

Hades turned around to thank Hecate only to find she had disappeared, leaving a bundle of notes on the floor.

Hades picked them up and pocketed them silently. He didn't want Poseidon to spend their only money on chocolate and cookies or something.

Poseidon opened the door with a victorious whoop. They slipped into the apartment.

Poseidon went to look at rooms while Hades went to the fridge. He found it full.

Hades stared at the array of ingredients. He had never cooked in his life. He never had to. Hades searched for something edible and found a bunch of bananas. He plopped onto a stool next to the kitchen counter before eating it.

Poseidon found three bedrooms: one black, one blue and one sea green. Of course he chose the sea green one. It had a blue carpet and sea green walls. A fish bowl was sitting on the white desk, the goldfish inside jumping out if the water for attention.

The bed had a picture of the sea on it and the lamp on the white bedside table had dolphin outlines on it.

Poseidon left his room and went to look at the other rooms. He found a living room, a library and a kitchen (where Hades had eaten two bananas).

Within the hour, both of them were fast asleep.


	4. Revelations

**December 28****th**

Zeus woke up in his cabin. A statue of him towered above him. It turned out his cabin was unfit to live in: it had no toilet and the only room seemed to be a cold bedroom that hadn't been slept in for at least a year. Neither of his children stayed in his cabin anymore; Zeus was alone.

He got ready for the day before heading down for breakfast. Zeus chose an omelet for breakfast. As he sat down, he saw every table standing up. Pretending that he knew what was happening, Zeus stood up and followed the demigods.

Zeus resisted the urge to ask why they were scraping food into a fire as he waited in line. Suddenly he remembered. It was offerings for the gods!

Zeus scraped his food in. **_For Zeus_**, he thought. The smoke turned black as the food burned. The fire grew and turned blood red. Zeus had never offered his food before, but even he knew something was wrong. He backed away quickly, knocking over a chair in his haste. Campers scattered; the fire never did that.

Ever.

Zeus held his hands out, lightning flickering between his fingers.

Chiron cantered in and took one look at the fire. He trotted over to it and stared at something hiding behind it.

Hestia crept out, a tear falling from her eye. Zeus took a step back, trying to escape the gaze of the grieving goddess. Hestia stared at him before flicking her hands and engulfing both of them in fire.

Hestia smiled slightly as her flames teleported them both. Her smile quickly disappeared though as she remembered why she had done this.

This child was a son of Zeus.

A son of the god she killed.

As the flames dispersed she closed her eyes, searching for the aura of the demigod. She wanted to see how powerful he really was.

Hestia found the presence of… something. Immediately she knew it was not a demigod; it was much too powerful. It was strange: the power was suppressed like…

"Zeus?" She asked hopefully, opening her eyes. The god looked at her, hands raised in defense.

"Stay away from me: I'm armed."

Hestia raised one eyebrow before running towards him.

Zeus tensed in surprise. He was about to turn away and run for it before Hestia grabbed him. He struggled in her grip, trying to escape.

A tear fell onto his shoulder. Zeus stopped struggling in astonishment.

"I thought you were dead!" She sobbed, her arms squeezing him tighter.

Zeus was confused.

Completely confused.

Why would she be upset about his death? She had planned to kill him…

Hestia stepped away and brushed the tears off her cheeks.

"Where are your brothers? Are they okay?"

Zeus was speechless. Then he was angry: nobody had told him what was going on except Hera (and it was obvious she didn't know the full story anyway). Zeus just wanted to know whether he had to defend himself or act like the king. Finally, he was hopeful. Zeus had an ally, a friend. He wasn't alone.

Hestia waited for the answer. Another tear slipped out of her eyes. She looked young, helpless. Her eyes had lost their flare as she stared at her brother.

"Are they…?"

Zeus snapped out of his thoughts. This was his sister: the one who had always tried to look after all the Olympians trying to keep them together. She would never want to kill him, and she would never ever kill Hades (who was the closest friend she had).

"No. They are alive and well with Hecate."

Hestia nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. She hugged Zeus again before breaking apart.

"If your going to stay here as a demigod, your going to need my help."

….…

Poseidon woke up to the smell of cooking. Shuffling towards the kitchen (still in the clothes he fell asleep in) he tried to not stumble over the many obstacles in his way.

Poseidon collapsed onto one of the stools next to the counter. Through his tired eyes he could make out Hades cooking some sort of… something.

Hades was panicking internally. He had put the egg in the pan but it was sticking. The egg had burned in multiple places; black, charcoal like pieces were gathering at the bottom.

He added some salt and pepper before walking to the fridge (keeping his expression calm: he didn't want Poseidon to treat him like a younger brother). Hades grabbed some cream and poured it in. He stirred it slightly more but the cream was separating.

Hades turned around to find a sleepy Poseidon trying not to laugh at his brother's eggs.

"Need help?"

Hades nodded, finally admitting that he could not cook breakfast.

After around ten minutes, Poseidon sat down next to Hades, a plate of eggs in one hand and toast in the other.

Breakfast seemed to continue as normal until suddenly a note appeared.

"What does it say?" Asked Poseidon. Hades picked up the note and read…

"_Hello boys! Today you need to go clothes shopping. Use the money I gave you to pay for it. Have fun!"_

Hades cringed at the mention of money. Poseidon narrowed his eyes.

"What money?"

Hades shuffled nervously before sprinting away from his brother. Sadly for him, Poseidon was much more athletic with all the fishing he did. They ended up in the living room, Poseidon pinning Hades below him.

"Surrender?"

Hades glared at his brother before head butting him. As Poseidon clutched his head in pain (gods didn't really feel stuff like this) Hades ran to his bedroom, locking the door behind him.

On his bed (which was made neatly), Hades found a sword and a shield. They were black with red swirls on them.

Hades traced his fingers over the red design. It looked like an inferno, a blazing fire. A tear slipped from his eyes. Hestia thought he was _dead_. His closest friend thought he was _dead. _So did his wife, but she didn't really care.

Hades sat on his bed, the shield and sword still held in his hands.

Somebody knocked softly on his door.

"Hades? Are you okay?"

Hades wiped the tears off his cheeks.

"I'm fine."

Poseidon leaned against Hades' door. He had heard Hades crying but he had no idea why.

Hades opened the door. Poseidon squeezed past him: searching for the thing that made his brother so upset.

His eyes drifted to the war gear on the bed. Looking at Hades he nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure Hecate could bring you your helm if you asked."

Hades shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Let's go out for lunch."

…

"Hey Percy! Percy!"

Nico jumped on top of his cousin. He had talked to some ghosts and they all said the same thing.

Hades was gone.

He disappeared on the winter solstice.

Nico needed to find out more: the underworld was in chaos. Nobody knew how to run it except Hades.

And the next in line was Nico.

He was the only living offspring of Hades who could do it. Nico knew the gods would make him if they didn't find his father soon.

Nico had to find him.

Percy groaned as he opened his eyes.

"What is it Nico?"

Nico hesitated. Did he really want Percy involved in this? All he would do is worry. Nico shook his head. Percy could help.

"Hades is gone. I need you to help me find him."

Percy jumped up.

"Just let me get ready."

….

Zeus sat in the meeting room. All of the cabin leaders sat around the table, with Chiron at the top.

Apparently Dionysus had gone to help with the panic happening in Olympus. Neither Chiron nor any of the campers had been informed if the Big Three's "absence".

Chiron stomped his hoof once, causing everybody to be enveloped in silence. Then he turned his attention to Zeus; his eyes seemed to look at his soul, searching for answers.

Suddenly, one of the Hermes children stood up.

"It's his fault! Who are you anyway? How did you make the fire do that?"

Zeus was speechless. He had no explanation for the boy's questions.

"Connor, sit down. We would like an answer, though."

Zeus stood up. "My name is Jack Sky. The fire did that because…"

Zeus trailed off, trying to come up with a likely explanation.

Hestia appeared in a swirl of flames. She smiled at Zeus quickly before addressing the rest of the campers.

"He is my champion."

Mayhem. The one word that could describe what ensued. Demigods shouted, Chiron tried to calm everyone down with a stamp of his hoof (but that was failing miserably), Hestia walked outside to tend to the campfire and Zeus followed her.

The sun was shining brightly. If you didn't know the chaos going on inside the big house then it would seem like a normal day.

That is, before Nico arrived.

Zeus was following Hestia to her fire to speak to her. She was his only remaining connection to the gods.

Zeus was still looking around. He never spent much time at Camp and with all the new changes… Well, it was completely different.

Zeus and Hestia reached the fire, both of them kneeling to speak.

Suddenly, Nico shadow travelled in between them, Percy in tow.

"Hello. We need to speak to Hestia for a bit." Nico moved as he spoke, pushing Zeus away a little. Zeus nodded, quickly going to his cabin before somebody else noticed him.

"Hello Hestia. Do you know anything about Hades disappearing?" Percy asked.

Hestia looked up sharply. Percy and Nico had found out… But how?

"He's fine, safe."

Nico raised one eyebrow at her. "Please Hestia. I want to see my daddy."

Percy rolled his eyes at his cousin's antics. He had to admit Nico was persuasive, but using puppy eyes on a goddess was going a bit too far.

If it had been any other goddess Nico would have been blasted or pushed away, but Hestia was too kind to do that.

"I'm not sure where he is."

Nico frowned slightly, but stopped himself swearing. Surely somebody knew where his dad was? He was becoming desperate.

"Do you know anybody who might know?"

Inside Hestia's mind a battle raged. If she told Nico then she was betraying Zeus but if she didn't then she would be separating family: something that went completely against her moral code.

Nico touched Hestia's hand, trying to up his performance. If he could just act sad enough…

"Please?" Nico managed to create a fake tear, which trickled down his cheek. Percy looked unsure, but didn't interfere. He was curious and Percy hated information being purposefully withheld from him.

Anyway, Percy would do the same thing if his father was missing.

Hestia tried to harden her heart. She couldn't tell everybody the secret: it wasn't hers to tell.

She gave a defeated sigh, visibly relaxing.

"Go ask the child of Zeus. He knows."

Percy wanted to ask more. Questions bubbled in his brain, waiting to be released. Just as he opened his mouth; Nico stood up in excitement and smiled at Hestia.

"Thanks Hestia!"

Nico grabbed Percy and ran towards Zeus' cabin. Percy shivered as they entered. The statue of Zeus loomed over them, glaring. It was almost like he was watching them through those statue eyes…

"Hello?"

A voice echoed in the silent temple. Percy jumped in surprise. Nico let go of his cousin before running in the direction of the half-blood. Percy jogged towards the pair.

Nico's eyes widened in surprise: it was the same demigod from earlier!

Zeus noticed the same thing and was immediately on guard. Maybe Nico had heard about the fire incident.

Percy looked between the two, wondering why they were staring at each other. He decided to break the silence.

"Hestia said you knew where Hades was."

Zeus stiffened. Why had Hestia told them? They might find out he was Zeus…

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Percy restrained himself from punching the demigod. He was obviously lying and was using the tone Percy hated the most: the superior tone.

Nico showed no restraint as he pinned the demigod to the floor, sword on his throat. He hissed some comments into Zeus' ear, which made him, turn white.

"I don't know where they are! Ask Hecate!"

Nico pushed himself off Zeus and stormed out of his cabin. Percy watched the demigod stand up shakily before turning to follow his younger cousin.

Nico was filling a spray bottle when Percy entered the Hades cabin. With a flick of his wrist a mist formed. Nico set down the spray bottle and dug out a drachma from his pockets.

"O goddess, accept our offering."

Nico mumbled to himself in Italian, while Percy shuffled nervously. What would Hecate do if they asked the question? They could be incinerated or something worse.

Nico held up the golden coin in triumph. He threw it into the rainbow and smiled as it vanished into thin air.

"Show me Hecate."

The rainbow shifted before changing into a clear picture. A woman was in an apartment building with a cauldron in front of her.

Hecate waited for the demigods to speak, her eyes never once leaving the potion she was creating.

"Hecate?" Nico said cautiously.

Hecate flicked her hand, causing a spoon to appear and stir the potion. She turned towards the IM, waiting for one of them to continue.

"Do you know where Hades is?" Nico continued.

Hecate sighed. "They're in an apartment in New York."

She snapped her fingers casually, making the demigods jump. Some keys fell into Percy's hand.

"Give those to the son of Zeus."

Nico watched as the IM faded slowly. He looked at the keys.

"Let's go back then."

…

Hades stretched slowly when the doorbell rang. He just wanted to relax and read the book on his lap. _Gone _was a strange book so far; but Hades wanted to see what the teenagers were into (and he had no idea considering where he usually lived).

He slowly sat up, glaring at the wooden door. He stood silently. The doorbell rang again. It was longer this time.

Hades approached the door. He didn't want to have a conversation with mortals, not until he absolutely had to anyway. The doorbell rang for a third time but stopped quickly. Hades had opened the door.

His son stood in front of the group, Zeus and Perseus close behind him. Hades raised an eyebrow at the trio: waiting for them to say something.

"We are looking for Hades." Nico told him at last. His voice was strong, demanding but his eyes gave his true feelings away. His son was scared.

Zeus rolled his eyes before pushing Nico out of the way. Hades glared at him, arms crossed.

"Hello, brother."

Hades nodded in acknowledgement of his brother's greeting. Percy watched both of them curiously, trying to figure out the connection.

Hades opened the door wider in a wordless invitation in. Zeus strode past his brother; his chin held high in defiance.

Nico followed warily behind. The tension in the room was high.

Percy was deep in thought. He recognised the two brothers, but he couldn't remember where from. All he had was a feeling, screaming something unknown, that Percy felt he should know.

Hades stopped in the kitchen before turning towards the demigods.

"Where's Hades?" Nico asked becoming more nervous every second. He tapped his foot to an imaginary beat but kept his eyes on his father.

Zeus rolled his eyes before pointing at his brother in annoyance. Nico stared at Hades; completely confused.

Percy watched the exchange with wide eyes. The boy was Hades!

Hades waited for Nico to realize, but the moment never came. Nico must have been really stressed.

Hades opened his mouth, ready to admit the truth.

"I'm… Jack Black."

Zeus raised an eyebrow at his brother blatant lie. Percy tried not to laugh as the god of the dead turned paler.

Inside, Hades was panicking. He was supposed to tell Nico the truth! Then he thought of the reason he lied: Hades could become friends with his son (without Nico feeling awkward).

Nico repeated his earlier question. "Where's Hades?"

Hades froze. He looked to his brother who was smiling slightly: Zeus wasn't going to help.

In desperation Hades looked to Perseus. Percy raised an eyebrow before nodding slightly.

"Maybe Hades left. He could have gone back to the Underworld or something."

Nico nodded, relaxing a little. He then walked to the darkest area of the room.

"Bye Perce."

Nico fell back into the shadows and disappeared. Percy turned towards the two gods.

"What the Hell are you doing?"

Hades shuffled nervously. He was debating telling Perseus the truth when Poseidon entered the kitchen.

"Percy?" The sea god asked in disbelief. His eyes skimmed over Zeus and Hades before returning to his son.

Percy caught on almost immediately. "Dad?"

Poseidon smiled and nodded before hugging Percy.


End file.
